Anna Karenina eBook

“Yes, indeed, I see that. But what can
Anna do?” queried Darya Alexandrovna.

“Yes, that brings me to the object of my conversation,”
he said, calming himself with an effort. “Anna
can, it depends on her.... Even to petition
the Tsar for legitimization, a divorce is essential.
And that depends on Anna. Her husband agreed
to a divorce—­at that time your husband
had arranged it completely. And now, I know,
he would not refuse it. It is only a matter of
writing to him. He said plainly at that time
that if she expressed the desire, he would not refuse.
Of course,” he said gloomily, “it is
one of those Pharisaical cruelties of which only such
heartless men are capable. He knows what agony
any recollection of him must give her, and knowing
her, he must have a letter from her. I can understand
that it is agony to her. But the matter is of
such importance, that one must passer pardessus
toutes ces finesses de sentiment. Il y va du
bonheur et de l’existence d’Anne et de
ses enfants. I won’t speak of myself, though
it’s hard for me, very hard,” he said,
with an expression as though he were threatening someone
for its being hard for him. “And so it
is, princess, that I am shamelessly clutching at you
as an anchor of salvation. Help me to persuade
her to write to him and ask for a divorce.”

“Yes, of course,” Darya Alexandrovna said
dreamily, as she vividly recalled her last interview
with Alexey Alexandrovitch. “Yes, of course,”
she repeated with decision, thinking of Anna.

“Use your influence with her, make her write.
I don’t like—­I’m almost unable
to speak about this to her.”

“Very well, I will talk to her. But how
is it she does not think of it herself?” said
Darya Alexandrovna, and for some reason she suddenly
at that point recalled Anna’s strange new habit
of half-closing her eyes. And she remembered
that Anna drooped her eyelids just when the deeper
questions of life were touched upon. “Just
as though she half-shut her eyes to her own life,
so as not to see everything,” thought Dolly.
“Yes, indeed, for my own sake and for hers
I will talk to her,” Dolly said in reply to
his look of gratitude.

They got up and walked to the house.

Chapter 22

When Anna found Dolly at home before her, she looked
intently in her eyes, as though questioning her about
the talk she had had with Vronsky, but she made no
inquiry in words.

“I believe it’s dinner time,” she
said. “We’ve not seen each other
at all yet. I am reckoning on the evening.
Now I want to go and dress. I expect you do
too; we all got splashed at the buildings.”

Dolly went to her room and she felt amused.
To change her dress was impossible, for she had already
put on her best dress. But in order to signify
in some way her preparation for dinner, she asked
the maid to brush her dress, changed her cuffs and
tie, and put some lace on her head.